I had an eagle talon before my mini cooper, and that car overheated on the way to work, and when I parked the car smoke was coming from the back, underneath, and the hood. Found out it was just a radiator hose had a small crack, and the coolant hit the fan, and flew all over.

The cooper wasn't smoking too bad compared to some of the vehicles I have seen at the side of the road with smoke flying out of the hood. Didn't smoke that long either. Maybe 1-2 min after I shut the car off, and smoke was gone.

Got new water pump, belt installed today, took the mini for a spin, and 1-2 miles down the road all the lights came on again, and the new belt tore. What would cause the belt to tear? All the pulleys turn, tensioner is new, but has wear on the sides of the pulley.

If, as you originally stated, your battery light came on, that would indicate the belt had broken, which is why it overheated. Seems like you've had lots of problems.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3317238

Hm....after reading the OP's first thread, i have to laugh, and say, i rememner!!
Interesting.....
hope this car/owner does not make the TV show about drivers doing...er...interesting things...at lewst the unintentented accleration in the first post will be fixed by the belt snapping and overheating, stopping the car.......
Sorry be be a smart butt, but had to connect the posts!!

Back to helping the op....
look at perhaps the crank pully...inspect it...usually does not fail on a base cooper, but on an abused car, anything is possible...then look at the alighnment, and anything attatched to the belt...make sure it all turns freely....a failed a/c compressor (seized) or a siezed alternator could cause issues..

I'm so happy I didn't buy my TSi from you.


I call shenanigans on this thread. Sorry if this post is legit, but it seems so far into the Darwin Awards territory that I'm having a hard time believing it.

He is absolutely right on the possible crank pulley, your car falls within the years that have had notorious issues with crank pulleys falling apart, your cars problem sounds exactly like a friends problem at the Dragon this year, it was the crank pulley.

Everything spins just fine. The crank pulley I am unsure about since I don't have a breaker bar to check. I did see that the brand new tentioner pulley was melted a little, and has rough edges on it which could be whats doing it.

I bought a 02 MCS in June, and thought everything was perfect. 2 weeks after I got her home, I had to replace the front axle's, then the clutch and tranny went out, then I had to buy new wheels, since the ones on the car were bent when we bought it. Several things wrong, and of course we had no idea, thanks to the dealer and previous owner. Spent 13,000 for her, and I've paid another $7,000 to $10,000 since to replace/fix everything.
I could have bought a new one. I love my MINI, but come on. Am I the only one who has a conscience? I would never knowingly sell someone anything, without full disclosure.
As for how long I would drive my car with any issues, I wouldn't. I drove her to the mechanic when power steering went out, after talking to the mechanic and he said it wouldn't hurt the car. I am not rich, especially after all the repairs, and I baby my car when she doesn't feel good. At the first sign of trouble, I either get her to the shop, or park her!

The talon I had was fine, I don't sell my cars without people knowing if something is wrong unless I don't know something is wrong. I bought this cooper with problems, and fixed them all except I got professionals to replace the windshield.

If something major is wrong with my cooper it will sit for a while before it gets a new engine. I am working on a few business plans, and working all the time. I was making $2,000 a day when I graduated high school, but I hired somebody to take over so I could have some free time to do other things, and soon after I got an e-mail about illegal activity cause that person screwed everything up, and every penny I put into that business vanished, and everything I made was taken away. Just got to learn from mistakes is all.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Brand new pulley/tennisioner melted a bit....lol
Sounds like you found your issue...or one of them...enough heat to melt somerhing....

Here's the rule when the light comes on saying any car you are in is too hot: you are only OK to drive it as far as you can coast with the engine off. No further.

Can't say what caused your original issue, but it sounds like something is seized or a pulley has failed. Start with those, and start saving pennys for your new engine.

So I borrowed a breaker bar, and the crank pulley turned easily with that, but when I got about 1/2 way turned it started getting harder, but was still turning. What does that mean?

I thiqnk you might be feeling the pistons moqving up and down, valves opening...you are rotating the entir motor...
the condition of the thinstrip of rubber (on the cooper, or broad band of rubber on a s) is what you want too look st...the crank pulley is 2 pieces...with rubber joining the parts...the rubbee tends to fail...letting the parts slip....tends to be intermitant...ok when cool, slips when hot...worsens as the rubber wears...

Sounds like that is whats going on. I will check the rubber out though, but definately sounds like thats whats wrong. When the car started heating up is when I could tell things where slipping. Thanks. I hope I can get that rubber replacement without replacing the whole crank pulley which is expensive, but I will if I have to.

You replace the entire crank pulley/harmonic balancer. Might as well get the ATI or the PRW and avoid the rubber issue all together.

It is a single replaceable part (the harmonic damper/crank pulley)...the rubber is not a seperate relacable part....i am assuning the rubber starts out as liquid in the production process, and hardens to a solid.
They do get $$, but you can visually inspect it...

Could I have a link to one? I searched all kinds of stuff with google, and found a crank pulley/harmonic damper for $500.00. I found a crank pulley on another site for less then $100.00, but didn't read anything about the harmonic damper.

http://www.waymotorworks.com/super-d...ulley-r53.html
http://www.waymotorworks.com/fluid-c...ulley-r53.html

Two different types which both fit.

Thanks, but their is just 1 thing I don't understand yet. When I put my key in the ignition the radio plays, clock, interior lights, ect, but it won't turn over unless I get another vehicle to jump it. Battery is obviously not dead, but is it cause the alternator isn't doing anything cause of no belt?

I just want to make sure nothing else could be wrong before spending some money.

Check your voltage at the battery using a multimeter. Using the radio, etc; as a diagnostic tool isn't a good way to tell how much voltage your battery has. Most likely it is low due to driving with a slipping belt.

The r50 damper is different...
Get the right one.
Some undamped ones are sold....but for r53's.
R50 is not many choices i think...
Sounds like the battery is weak....the alternator only makes power when the belt spins with the motor running...likely have a weak battery from no belt....

Actually that's not necessarily the case:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...it-an-r50.html

http://www.madnessmotorworks.com/min...ne-damper.aspx

The keyway is different ...talk to wmw.

Like the link I posted stated, that would depend on build date as the later version crankshafts have no key.

I always wondered what the back-story is when I see a car in flames burning on the shoulder of the road. It's always an exciting moment when you pass it, wondering if the gas tank will explode. If you miss that part, you can usually tell when the vehicle is fully engulfed because the huge fireball is followed by intense black smoke as the tires finally ignite. Until this post, I never quite understood what led up to the eventual inferno.